MPC 500 will not play more than one .5 second sample, help?

Update as of March 25th --

AFTER-NOTE: I have concluded that this is not how the MPC is supposed to work. And that my hardware is/was disfunctional, this problem is not indicative of MPC-500's only mine. I'm going through the RMA process, and am covered under manufactures warranty. TGIF!!!

Also, I am very thankful for this warranty; if anything I'm more of a fan of Akai now then if I was stuck with this.

NOTE2: (this one is for you)

If you're going to post some advice, please read through the post!!! Don't just post a suggestion without reading!!!


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Original post --

I just want a straight answer about this. Is my MPC 500 not supposed to be able to play more than one +0.5 second sample at the same time??? It seems totally and utterly incapable of playing more than one sample that is longer than .5 seconds, at the same time??? I havn't upgraded the Ram? Should I do this? Will it help?

It can play longer sample (by longer I mean longer than .5 seconds) one at a time fine, but as soon as I do even the smallest amounts of layering there is a good 50% chance that one of the samples will cut short. VERY FRUSTRATING for a $600 machine!!

Also, I've experimented with stereo and mono, this doesn't help, though I thought it might. I've experiemented with poly and mono, no correlation here.

I've read about the machine not playing 3 minute samples, I've read about it not playing more than 16 samples. Neither apply here... this is 'just' more than one, as in 2, and the time length that the samples cut off at is around .5 seconds.

Do I have a defective machine? Is there anyway to get help?

Also I have Version 1.31, I assume this is the OS.

that seems strange with 16 mb you got more than 5 sec and the polyphony is 32 voices

From your description, it certainly sounds like there's a problem, perhaps faulty memory (i.e. the built in 16MB). Contact the seller and take it from there

I just re-installed the OS, thinking maybe that was the problem. But aparently not.

For example the A7 drone in the Top Gun song in the demo, as soon as the drums start to play it will, about 50% of the time, cut out.

Quick question, I have no problem putting in some extra hard-ware, will upgrading the RAM solve this???

if it's a faulty memory you must send it to the seller

Not sure if the 500 is like the 1k in this regard but...


If you have the program set to mono instead of poly it will allow you to play any one note but the following note will cut it out.

Mute groups, check em out

Neither of these are the problem, both for two reasons. Actually three:

One: I checked both of those potential answers, a few weeks ago.

Two: This problem occurs while playing in the demo of a rebooted OS with a formatted flash drive

Three: It occurs randomly, that is to say, the longer sample has a 70% survival rate (my estimate) upon each subsequent sample hit.

Example: you have a three second git loop going, then you play a few drums over top of it, sometimes the sample cuts off on the first drum hit sometimes on the second, next time around it goes straight through, third time around the sample goes through, fourth time around the sample cuts off on the fifth drum hit.

Have you tried all this starting with a blank program?

Or are you just using the preset program?

Have you tried to reset to factory settings?

Try all of they above ^ if still the problem is there then

Just a thought brother, but do you mean your mpc will not play any more then 5seconds of a sample if you press

mode

load(pad 2)

then naviagate to your sample in your specified folder

then press play

?

If you are only getting 5 seconds of play in the above^ scenario then that is perfectly normal as you are just auditioning a sound and it is not yet assigned to a pad and the mpc500 will not play the sample in full if it is over a certant length.

If your program is perfectly normal and the mpc is not autoloading a program with changes made to that program (as i have set mine to), so if your on a totally fresh program and your not playing via trim mode or with decay turned up on that sample in the program or anything untaward like that (even stuff like mute groups or effects added maybe), there really is no reason you should get the type of behaviour you have described from the mpc500 as default, assuming you are talking about triggering samples from striking the pads, if this is the case i would return your MPC500 if possible.

If the later is the case and you do not have addition RAM installed (and you are only running the 16mb factory RAM) then i doubt it is any of the MPC500 generic RAM problems, plus it sounds possibly (just guessing from how your post is worded) like you can load multiple samples that are not playing in full, the fact you can load several samples does suggest that your RAM is not damaged and running on less MB that would only limit you to 5seconds (which would not be much RAM at all!) as if this were true you would not be able to load multiple samples. If this is the case i would return the MPC500 as it is broken and probably has some convoluted motherboard problem (maybe brang on by the way it was treated as it came through the mail) that just wont get fixed easy/if at all.

@BGreen
This happens no matter what, no matter if its in a program or if its simply assigned to a pad.

Like I said I have reset everything to factory, re-installed the OS, reformatted the flash. It happens in this mode, it happens also when I have no pre-loaded factory demos or anything. And am working from a blank program. (no pre-loaded anything)

Also this happens if I am playing a sequence, writing a sequence, replaying a sequence, dubbing a sequence, or if I am not in a sequence and just messing around. Again it is completely independent of anything having to do with programs, as well.

@ceetheproducer
This has to do with simply hitting a pad and the sample cutting out, no matter where or at what point you are in the programming process.

I'm pretty sure it has to do with either a the RAM or the motherboard, or some sort of thing like this.

I'm already in my RMA process. I think my case is pretty solid. I'm excited to get a new one that works!!